Fire-ladder truck.



E. CARDARELLI.

FIRE LADDER TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10, 1913.

I Patented July 25, 1916.

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. IIII fl lll lm msegx E. CAB-DARELLI. FIRE LADDERITRUCK.

I APPLICATION FILED DEC-10,1913- 1 ,1 92,387., Patented July 25, 1916.

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EMILIO CARDARELLI, pr-iiosron, MASSACHUSETTS. FIRE-LADDER racer.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMILIO CAR'DARELIQI, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and use. ful Improvements inFire-Ladder Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire ladder trucks, and consists in certain. improvements upon the truck described in Letters Patent of the United" States N 0. 516,346, issued to me March 13, 1894, as hereinafter more particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figured is a side elevation of a fire ladder truck embodying my invention showing the ladder thereof collapsed and folded down into its inoperative horizontal position; Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1 but with the ladder in its operative position; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is-a side view of the lowermost ladder section hereinafter described; Fig. 6 is a side view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the turret top hereinafter described.

My improved ladder truck comprises a body 1 mounted as usual on wheels 2.- The body 1 is made with a central, longitudinal slot 3, within which is arranged a turret supporting carriage 4, provided at its sides with rollers or wheels 5, supported by two rails 6, 6 extending lengthwise of body 1. Upper rails or flanges 6 6 hold the rollers 5 down on their rails 6, 6. Carriage 4 is made with a hollow, upwardly extending, cylindrical post 7 within which is rotatably mounted the lower portion of a turret 8, the lower end of said turret being made with a shoulder resting on ball bearings 9 provided within carriage 4, and with a threaded extremity that extends below carriage 4 and has a nut 10 to hold the turret against upward displacement.

The rotatable turret 8 carries an extensible ladder herein shown as made up of four ladder sections 11, 12, 13 and 14 slidably connected together so that the ladder. may be lengthened and shortened telescopically. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the side bars of the ladder sections are in the form of chan-. nel irons fitting to slide one within the other.

The ladder section 12 is provided near its Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July "as, rare.

Application filed December 10, 1913. serial No. 805,886.

middle with a cross bar" 15 pivotally connected'by a'pintle 16 with the turret top 17 to swing in a vertical plane. The turret top is pivotally mounted on trunnions 18 at the upper end of turret member 8, the axes of trunnlons 18 being at right angles to the pintle 16. Vertically adjustable screws 20 mounted in a flange 19 on turret member 8 serve normally to hold top 17 a ainst rockmg on trunnions 18, but by a justing the screws 20, thetop l7 and consequently the I ladder when in operative position, can be tilted one way or the other relatively to the truck. Thus, when the truck is in use and stands on ahill'or incline, with one end higher than the other the top 17 can be adj usted on trunnions 18 so that the ladder willstand in an upright plane transversely to the truck. Also, for use when the truck is placed on a hill or incline, I provide the ladder section 11 with two adjustable legs 21 mounted to slide in bearings, one at each side ofjthe section. In Figs. 1, 5 and 6 these legs are shown in their retracted or inoperative positions Where they may be secured by clamping, screws 22. The screws 22 also serve to hold the legs in their projected or operative, positions.

The ladder section 11 is the outer one of the series, and within it the next section slides telescopically. Ladder sections 11 and 12 may be secured in adjusted position by clamping screws 23. Section 11 is provided with cross bars 24',and to one of these is pivotally secured an extensible strut, comprisin a tubular member25 within which is slidabTy mounted a bar 26 provided with a hook at its outer end to engage either one of a pair of sockets 27 provided at opposite sidesof the carriage 4. When the truck'is not in use, bar 26 is. shoved into the tubular member 25 and fastened there by a clamping screw 28. This clamping screw serves also as a means for locking thetwo parts 25 and 26 together when the strut is in use and admits of varying the length of the strut to suit the desired inclination of the extension fixed a drum 32 arranged between said arms.

One end of shaft 31 is provided with a crank handle 33 and said shaft also carries a ratchet wheel 34 engaged by a detent 35 pivoted upon one of the arms 30. To drum 32 is fastened one end of a rope or cable 36 which extends upward therefrom through an aperture in the turret top 17, over a sheave.

' secured to the ladder section 13 near its upper end, and thence downward to one of the lowermost rungs of ladder section 14 to which it is secured. The turret member 8 is also provided with a pairv of laterally projecting arms 40 supporting ashaft 41 on which is fixed a drum 42. To drum 42 is fastened one end of a rope or cable 43 which extends upward from said drum over a sheave 44 and then downward to a car 45, i

to Whichits other end is fastened. This car cupy the grooves or channels upon the inner sides of the side bars of'the extension ladder sections, so that the lower flanges of said bars serve as tracks on which said wheels travel.

When the extension ladder is in operative position as shown in Fig. 2, the car can be moved up and down on the ladder by rotating drum 42. This car may be used to carry passengers or goods up and down the ladder, and it is adapted particularly for use by the hoseman in fighting a fire as its bottom or side wall on the side toward the fire when the apparatus is in use, is made with one or more port holes 47, through which the nozzle or nozzles of the hose can be passed to direct the water on to the fire, while the fireman manipulating the hose is shielded from flames and heat by the side wall of the car, which is a solid and imperforate screen, except for the ports 47. For the safety and use of the occupants thecar may be provided upon its interior with a handle 48 and seat 49. The ladder sections 13 and 14 are provided with stops 50 and 51, respectively, the former engaging the end of section 12, and the latter the end of section 13, to limit the collapsing movements of said sections.

It is desirable to provide for readily shifting the extension ladder while'it is in use, bodily sidewise, that is, lengthwise of the truck after the latter has been placed in front of the building and without moving the truck. To this end I mount'the turret member 8 on the carriage 4 as above described so that after the truck. has been} placed the carriage 4 and ladder carried'by it can be shifted along said truck. In 0 er to provide for conveniently and quickly shifting the carriage 4 on its tracks 6, lengthwise of body 1, I provide two drums 51 and 52, the former fast on a shaft 53 jour naled on a post 54 near the front end of the body 1, and .the latter fast on a shaft 55 journaled on a bracket near the rear end of the body 1. These two shafts 53 and 55 carry w cranks 56 by means of which the drums can be manually operated. To the front end of carriage 4 is fastened one end of a cable 57 which extends forward from said carriage around drum 51 two or more turns and thence rearward to drum 52 around which also it passes two or more turns. From drum said clamping screw permits the carriage to be readily'freed when it is to be adjusted on the body.

When the extension ladder occupies the position shown in Fig.2 and it is desired to lengthen or extend said ladder, the drum 32 is rotated in a direction to wind cable 36 thereon. The first eifectof this is to cause said cable to'lift ladder sections 13 and 14,

both together, until pulley 38 on section 13 up, the top section 14 will continue to be lifted individually by cable 36 'until the rung 59 of said section 14 comes opposite sheave 39. The detent 35 normally cooperates with ratchet 34 to hold the ladder against collapsing while it is being raised and holds it at any point to which it is raised; but when the ladder is being lowered or contracted the detent will be thrown out of engagement with the ratchet. The sheave 44 is journaled on a yoke 60 provided with a stem 61 extending loosely through a hole in the end or uppermost cross bar 62 of ladder section 14. To the outer end of this stem 61 is pivotally secured the shank of a grappling hook 63. When the ladder is elevated or extended to the desired height the hook 63 may be engaged with a convenient portion of the building, such as the coping or window sill; and when so engaged it will be clear that the whole or a greater part of the weight of car 45 and its contents will be removed from the ladder and borne by the grappling hook, and that a part of the weight of the ladder may also be transferred from the cable 36 to the grappling hook. The upper end of the extension ladder section 14 is provided with one or more steps 64, two being herein shown, one at one side of the ladder and the other at the opposite side thereof. These .steps are for the use of persons passing from stowed, the ladder sections are lowered byper tting the cable 36 to unwind from drum 32; car 45 is placed in a position somewhat above that shown in Fig. 2; strut 26 is disengaged from carriage 4 and after being-shortened is folded up alongside section 11; screws 23 areloosened; section 11 is lifted until its uppermost cross bar 24 strikes the cross bar 15, at which position it, is secured by again setting screws 23;

turret 8 is rotated until the ladder is brought into position above the truck and in a plane parallel with it; and then the ladder is swung on pintle 16 to lower its top end into the crotch 65 at the top end of post 54, which serves as a support for said folded ladder and also to hold said ladder against sidewise displacement.

I claim:

1. In a fire ladder truck, the combination with the body thereof, of a turret rotatably mounted on said truck body with provision for bodily adjustment lengthwise of said truck body, and an extension ladder adjustably mounted on the turret.

2. In a fire ladder truck, the combination with the body thereof, of a turret rotatably mounted on said truck body with provision for bodily adjustment lengthwise thereof, means on said body for shifting said turret lengthwise of the body, and an extension ladder adjustably mounted on the turret.

3. In a fire ladder truck, the combination with the body thereof, of a turret rotatably mounted thereon, an extension ladder, a turret top carried by said turret and connected to the turret by means which permit the turret top to tilt on a horizontal axis lying in the plane of the ladder, said ladder being pivoted to the turret top on an axis and at right angles to the tilting axis of the turret, andmeans for holding the turret top in adjusted positionon the axis.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 3d day of December, 1913.

EMILIO OARDARELLI.

Witnesses:

RoBERT CusnMAN, CHARLES D. WooDBERRY. 

